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In the interest of speed and timeliness, this story is fed directly from the Associated Press newswire and may contain spelling or grammatical errors.
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Fire near Whittier burns grassy area along 605 Freeway
Friday August 15, 2003
WHITTIER, Calif. (AP) A brush fire that appears to have been
started in several locations Friday charred a grassy area and
forced the closure of southbound lanes on the 605 Freeway for more
than an hour, authorities said.
The blaze began about 1:15 p.m., between the Beverly Boulevard
offramps. County fire officials said homes in the area in this
suburb just east of Los Angeles were initially threatened but there
were no reports of any damage or injuries.
No acreage count was immediately available.
The cause of the blaze is under investigation, but it appeared
to begin in three or four locations, indicating it may have been
started deliberately, county fire Inspector Ed Osorio said.
``It's obviously not a natural occurrence that a fire begins at
several spots,'' Osorio said.
The fire was contained within three hours, county fire officials
said. The southbound lanes of the 605 Freeway were closed for about
an hour before the California Highway Patrol opened all but one
lane.
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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